The 2013 season is over and Jimmie Johnson is set to celebrate another championship at the postseason awards banquet.

“Black Monday” for crew chiefs has come and gone with Steve Addington moving on and Tony Stewart, among others, getting a new crew chief.

So what is there to look forward to over the next couple of months? There are several storylines to monitor before testing begins Jan. 9 at Daytona International Speedway.

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Smoke show

Tony Stewart is expecting to be healed well enough from his broken right leg to get back in a racecar in February. He did have a third surgery last month but so far, it appears everything is going as planned.

But until he gets in a car in February (Mark Martin will test for him), there will be questions about whether he actually will be racing in the Daytona 500 because he suffered such a severe fracture of both bones in his lower leg.

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The 3

The announcement appears to be at least a couple of weeks away, but it’s coming. Austin Dillon is expected to move to Sprint Cup and drive the No. 3 made famous by Dale Earnhardt, who drove for Dillon’s grandfather, Richard Childress, for six of his seven Cup titles.

Dillon has won Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series titles while using the famous car number.

Childress has said he believes fans would like to see return of the number, which was last used in Cup in the 2001 Daytona 500, where Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap crash.

Childress, who has the rights to the number, has said only members of his family or Earnhardt’s family would ever drive a car with the slanted No. 3. The big question will be what kind of reaction Dillon gets from fans, and how will he do in his rookie season?

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The cars

NASCAR will have a test at Charlotte Motor Speedway Dec. 9 to determine the 2014 rules package. NASCAR is looking at ways of improving racing on intermediate tracks. One of the possibilities is a tapered spacer — a thick version of a restrictor plate — that is used in Nationwide and trucks.

Engine builders certainly don’t want that big of a change. And the teams and drivers don’t want to lose horsepower.

What avenues NASCAR decides could determine just how good the racing is — and how good certain drivers are — in 2014.

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Driver decisions

There are still some driver announcements to be made for 2014, especially with the smaller teams.

Justin Allgaier is expected to drive for Phoenix Racing, which also has toyed with the idea of fielding a second car with new owner Harry Scott.

Swan Racing, which had Cole Whitt and Parker Kligerman among its drivers at the end of 2013, also needs to make a decision on a driver and possible expansion.

BK Racing last year didn’t finalize its driver lineup until January. FAS Lane Racing, too, will need to find a driver if Timmy Hill doesn’t run all the races.

Meanwhile, some popular drivers — most notably Bobby Labonte and Sam Hornish Jr. — still have not announced any 2014 plans.

Jeff Burton has not announced his as well, although he appears in line to drive a car in a handful of races for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Earnhardt is coming off his best points finish since 2006, while Danica struggled in her rookie season. They both continue to be among the sport’s most popular drivers, with Danica earning the fan vote for the Sprint All-Star race in May.

The most popular award, determined by online voting, will be announced Dec. 5.

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Legal battles

Two drivers involved in highly publicized cases have court dates coming up in the offseason.

Jeremy Mayfield, still facing methamphetamine and larceny charges in North Carolina, could get a resolution in early 2014. His first court date is scheduled for the week of Jan. 6.

Travis Kvapil, who faces domestic violence charges in North Carolina, has a Jan. 17 court date. NASCAR has not taken any action against Kvapil, allowing the legal system to run its course before making a decision.

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Nationwide and truck lineups

The lineups for these series have not been determined until early February the last few years. But with Daytona testing in January, teams might be forced to get deals done a little earlier than usual.

Among the questions:

Will 2012 truck champion James Buescher leave his father-in-law’s team at Turner Scott Racing to go Nationwide racing for another team?

Will Kyle Busch get enough sponsorship to run Darrell Wallace Jr. in a truck in 2014?

Who will drive for JR Motorsports in the No. 5 car when Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. or another Cup driver doesn’t run?